Meat rail and hook.



R. R. HAWK.

1 MEAT RAIL AND HOOK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21,1918- 7 Patented Feb. 18, 1919,

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I Java 0W a "flown ill) RUBY R. HAWK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MEAT RAIL AND HOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

Application filed March 21, 1918. Serial No. 223,763.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUBY R. HAWK, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Meat Rails and Hooks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to hooks and their mounting for hanging meat in refrigerator. or other cars, or the like. The object of my improvement is the provision of simple and efficient supporting means for supporting meat and the like in refrigerator or other cars, or in other storing places. A further object is the provision of meat hooks and their mounting, which are not too easily dotached from their mountings, so as to be easily displaced, but which can be quickly and easily taken from the supports for cleaning, and the like, when so desired. A still further object is the provision of supporting means for meat hooks, and bracing and supporting means for said supporting means. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

An embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which-Figure 1 is a. fragmental, transverse section of a car equipped with my invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmental longitudinal view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a beam used in the construction, with my improved hook mounted thereon.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 1 have indicated a car by the side walls 5, end wall 6, roof 7 and carlines '8. These parts may be of any preferred or conventional design, as my invention is adapted to be applied to all makes of refrigerator or other cars used in the transportation of meats and the like.

I preferably provide brackets 9 which are secured to the Walls 5 Joy nails 10 or any other desirable means. The brackets 9 are preferably U-shaped, with their top portion open, so that beams 11 may be inserted 1n the tops of such U-shaped members and supported thereby against all movements except upward movements. The U-shaped members 9 may be formed in any preferred shape, but in order to make them light and strong I prefer to form a ridge-like portion 12 around the opening of the member and provide Webs 13, as indicated in Fig. 2, to strengthen the part 12.

I preferably arrange the beams 11 crosswise of the car and provide any desirable number of such beams. ()rdinarily about seventeen of these beams are used in a con-- ventional refrigerator car. These beams may be made up in any preferred manner, but in order to make a beam which is strong and light I preferably make them up using an inverted T-rail 14 of steel, and cut a groove longitudinally of a wooden bar 15 which snugly fits the T-rail substantially as indicated in Fig. 3. Two or more pins 16 may be placed through the T-rail and member 15, as indicated in Fig. 1, to hold such parts together. It will be noted that the articles supported on the beam will tend to hold these members 14 and 15 together, but when they are removed from their operative position in the car, the pins 16 will keep them in their proper relations. In order to prevent easily removing the beams 11,11 preferably place a bolt or pin 17 through one end of each beam and its corresponding bracket 9, substantially as indicated in Fig.

' 1. It will be apparent, however, that a bolt 17 may be extended through the other bracket 9 and other end of the beam 11 when so desired. The purpose of this particular construction is that upon removing the bolt 17 the beam can be lifted up out of the brackets 9 and removed for cleaning or any other purpose desired, and yet with the bolt 17 :in place the beams 11 are held sufiiciently rigid in the car to prevent workmen from carelessly and easily displacing them. This makes a construction which is easily removable when desired, and yet sufliciently secure to prevent loss of the parts.

Each of the beams 11 is provided with as many notches 18 as is desired. The notches 18 are provided so that hooks 19 which support the meat or other articles to be carried by the beams 11, will not slide along the beams as the car is moved along. The notches 18 may be eliminated if desired, but I find it best to use them in order to keep the meat evenly distributed along the beams 11.

The hooks 19 are preferably provided in two or more lengths so that by hanging some of the pieces of meat higher than others more can be stored in a car than where the hooks are all the same length. The length of the hooks may be varied to suit different re quirements. Also the number of hooks on the beams may be varied as desired. Eachhook 19 has a shank 20 and a hook proper 21 Cal at its lower end adapted to receive the meat or other articles. at its upper end is a loop, preferably formed having a U-shaped portion 22 which faces downwardly or in a general direction toward the hook 21, so that when the U-shaped portion 22 of the hook is engaging the beam 11, the shank 20 will be maintained in substantially vertical position. Theloop is also provided with a substantially Ushaped portion 23 which is set so that the legs of the lJ-sha'ped portion 28 are at slightly obtuse angles to the legs of the Ushaped part 22. With this particular relation, when the U-shaped part engages the beam 11, the shank 20 and hook 21 will take a position slightly above the U-shaped portion The last-named position of these pzfrts is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The purpose of this is to move the hook into a position where the point 21 will be out of the way when it is desired to use the car for other purposes than meats and the like. In the usual practice at this time, hooks are used which are easily detachable from their supporting rails and when the car is to be used for other purposes than meat and the like, such hooks are taken oft" and thrown in a corner and lost.

In this device, when the hooks are not in use, the U-shaped portions 23 are engaged on the beams 11 to hold the hooks up out of the way, and where there is very small danger of their injuring anyone passing under the beams 11.

On each beam 11, I place one or more, preferably two, castings 24 which are adapt ed to loosely fit the beam and slidable over 1t in order to make them removable from the beam. Each casting 24 is provided with two lateral ears 25, and between the lateral ears 25 of two adjacent castings 2st I place a brace 26. At the ends of the car I provide castings 2st, one only being shown in Fig. 2. Each casting 2% is secured to the car by nails or lag screws 10 and provided with an ear 25 which is connected by means of a brace 26 to the ear 25 on the adjacent casting 2d. The purpose of the braces 26 and castings 2e and 24: is to brace the beams laterally so that sudden lurches or jars of the car will not break the beams 11 when the latter are heavily loaded. When so desired, a turn-buckle 27 maybe placed in the braces 26 so thatjeasyand quick adjustments maybe made in said braces if desired.

I find that it is also desirable to support the intermediate portions of the beams 11, and as a simple means for accomplishing this, I place a loop 28 at thetop of each casting 24. It will be HildGI'StOOCl that a hook or other perforated member may take the place of the loop 28, when so desired, without departing from my invention. Above each loop 28 I provide a hook 29 which is anchored in acarline 8 in any desired manner, such as by having a nut 30 threaded thereon and embedded in the car line. The form and shape of the hook 29 may be varied to suitdifierent requirements. It is desirable to have the beam 11 placed at a distance sufiiciently below the carline 8 so that the beam may be lifted out of the brackets 9 before the loops 28 touch the bottom of the car-lines or other parts of the top of the car. In orderfto remove the beams 11 from the brackets '9, such beams are raised straight up until they are need from the brackets, then the beam turned over "to disengage the loops 28 fromfthe hooks 29, when such beams with the parts hanging thereon can be taken down forcleaning' or repairing.

While I have illustrated and described "the preferred form of my invention, I do not desire tofbe limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail inyselfoi such yariations and changes as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, car; supports on the vertical walls of the'ca'r; beams havin' their ends resting in said supports and ac a'pted for vertical movements ,out of the supports; loop members connected to intermediate parts of the beams; hooks depended from the roof of the car and engagin said loo members; spacing bars between and connected to inte'rmediate parts of the beams; and article-supporting hooks mounted on said "beams. I

2. Tn combination, a car; a plurality of spaced beamsfsupported at their ends "on the inner walls of the car; member mounted intermedlate the ends of each been; spacing bars connecting the members; turn-tackles in said spacing bars for varyi g the lengths of the latter; supports "extendin'g between said members and the'ca'i' roof; and -articles'upporting hooks mounted en said beams.

In co bination, a car; U-shaped brackets on the vertical walls of the car; fa beam having its ends "resting in said U- shaped brackets; aniember mouiite'd ions aid beam; a loop on said member having its opening "substantially as long "as the depth of the opening in said U-shaped brackets; and a hook on the roof "of the ear engaging said loop. V j

4. In combination, a car; a plurality of spaced beams 'supported at their ends on the inner walls of the car; member loosely mounted intermediate the endsof each "beam; spacing bars connecting the members; supports extending between said members and the car roof; and hooks "having portions extending around said beams.

5. In combination, a 'car; a plurality of spaced beams supported at their ends onthe inner walls of the car; a member sl-idably mounted intermediate the ends or each beam; perforated ears on the lateral sides of said members; spacing bars having their ends engaging the perforations of said ears spacing said members apart; supports connected with the roof of the car and attached to said members; and hooks having loops disposed around said beams.

6. In combination, tWo vertical walls and a top wall; U-shaped brackets on the adjacent sides of the vertical walls; a beam having its ends resting in said U-shaped brackets; a support having one portion secured to the top wall and another portion connected with an intermediate part of said beam, the portions of said support being adapted to be separated upon removal of said beam from said brackets.

7. In combination, two vertical walls and a top wall; U-shaped brackets on the adjacent sides of the vertical walls; a beam having its ends resting in said U-shaped brackets; a member loosely mounted on the intermediate part of the beam; an extension on said member having a perforation therein; a hook connected with the top wall and engaging the perforation of the extension on said member; and meat hooks on said beam.

8. In combination, a car; U-shaped brackets on the inner walls of the car; a

beam having its ends resting in said U- shaped brackets; a member slidably mounted on the intermediate part of said beam; a loop on said member; a hook connected with the roof of the car and engaging said loop, said beam being adapted for bodily vertical movement out of said brackets and for lateral movement to disengage said hook; and meat hooks mounted on said beam.

9. In combination, a car; U -shaped brackets on the inner walls of the car; a perforated member; a beam extending through the perforation of said member and having its ends resting in said brackets; a support made up of two portions detachably connected together, one portion being secured to the roof of the car and the other portion being attached to said perforated member, the portions of said support being separable upon the removal of the beam from said brackets; and meat hooks having loops engaging said beam and adapted for removal from the latter when such beam is removed from said brackets.

I11 testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification on this 18th day of March, A. D. 1918.

- RUBY R. HAWK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

